


White Warmth

by starrymeis (meiqis)



Series: rare hybrid 1-0-21 [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bird/Human Hybrids, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Hybrids, Living Together, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, fox hybrid Jeno, hawk hybrid Lucas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:40:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29768070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/starrymeis
Summary: He flapped his wings with more strength to elevate himself up into the air, and when he flew to one of the platforms that had been set up for him to rest on, he imagined the shadow he had seen to take shape, eyes on his prey, but he couldn’t tell. It was gone before he could.A shadow he did not anticipate to take shape as steady presence in his life, eyes that traced him, made him soar and fall at once. Now, with claws that took hold of him, leaving was no longer an option, and neither was it something he'd want.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: rare hybrid 1-0-21 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187819
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	White Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> This is sooooo so heavily delayed, and it breaks my heart but studying really took my brain out of me... 
> 
> Anyways, my [red hawk Lucas](https://twitter.com/starrymeis/status/1337544982215995392/photo/1) has finally taken shape, and I'm happy I can finally introduce this first project of a few I had planned ~  
> My biggest thanks go to [BEA](https://twitter.com/JENOXCX) and [CJ](https://twitter.com/fullsunCJ) who not only encouraged me but also helped me clear some biology/physiology concerns I had around them! 
> 
> On that note, this story is more aligned with factual biology, and I tried my best to integrate a lot of their traits into this. Along with those, also,  
>  **trigger warnings** \- violence in the context of hunting/feeding. repetitive mention of raw meat.

The snowfall was thick this year. Heavy white flakes, floating through the air and obscuring Lucas’ sight from where he was perched on top of his pole, claws digging into the splintering wood, he would need to redo the torn apart plate come summer, letting it suffice for winter still. He liked winter, and at the same time he didn’t - the snow was beautiful, the cold kept the people away, and his family was less likely to come to this house. In other words, it meant he could spend his days peacefully, not having to care about losing feathers and getting reprimanded for the same by the Madame, getting to use the house as he wanted, not having to stick to his designated places, and to play as many video games as he liked now that he didn’t need to be shown off to neighbors or the likes. It wasn’t even _that_ lonely, not when Yuqi was coming by once a day to prepare his food and let him hunt, not when he had his TV and variety shows and games, and Auntie Kim visited once a week to tidy the house and change the sheets nobody had slept in, talking to Lucas and updating him on all the gossip that had happened in the small rural town nearby throughout the days she had been missing. She was a beacon of sunlight brightening his days, and he was the help she needed to find the last bit of dust in a house that was always clean.

Dust that was replaced by snow, as he curiously tilted his head, shook out his arms at the almost ticklish touch of the frozen droplets on his feather tendrils. In the far distance, he could see Yuqi’s car approach, halfway up from the town to the house, bulky and big, meant to fight the masses of snow that came down every winter and had to be bulldozed out of the way by Auntie Kim’s husband every other day. Similarly, well aware of the timeframe he still had until she came home, he was able to catch some movement in the same field of vision, a shadow passing between the lighter group of trees. Not that shadows were unusual, there were plenty of, except those usually did not move, not in that size, and it had him curiously tilt his head aside.

There wasn’t much more he could see, not with the shadow gone and having seeking cover, with any living creature hopefully being smarter than to try and intrude on his territories. But it had been a while, since he had met some of his kind, and he didn’t mean only hybrids - preying animals were a rarity, hunted down by selfish humans only for them to realize their mistakes, red lists and warnings, and when only a handful were left, suddenly they found methods to combine genetic strings and create hybrids. Trial and error, first on _expendable_ animals, testing for rare ones, and the rarer the original animal the more expensive the hybrid. It had Lucas shuddering, feathers rustling, when he so much as thought of it. All the more when he was well aware that he, his kind, was not rare at all. He was lucky - _innovative_ , as scientists had called him then. He could remember as much, even when he had just hatched at that time.

Yuqi’s honking startled him out of his reveries, and he turned his head quickly to see her small figure move around the truck, pulling a box from the trunk and freeing its content into the snow, small black dots moving around. Lucas would give it ten seconds to realize it’s surroundings, and another twenty to run, darting through the snow in a rushed, rigged manner, leaving little trails, lines of hops and jumps, and all too soon they would be marred in red. Its ear flicked in synch with the sound of his rustling feathers, arms stretched out, trembling as he loosened the muscles, and then he just dipped. 

Leaning his weight to the side until he was falling, three feet down the pole and he spread his arms, felt the wind against his feathers, felt the snow against their tips, and fifteen meters up allowed him to drift fast, and well. On other days he would play around instead, would jump off the pole and sail around the air, would drop down until his nose almost kissed the ground to then pull himself up again, sail on the winds, fly from pole to pole and play around his air gardens. Today, though, he had a different goal, with the hare darting through the snow, running for its life, and his legs already stretched forth to grab its lithe frame, there was only one thing he was planning to do, and since the first second, there had been no chance at life.

Even in his claws it struggled, thrashed around, willing to live, and he would love nothing more than to have a bite right there, where had caught it, like a reminder of success. But he had promised Yuqi to not do it there, not where she could see, so he flapped his wings with more strength to elevate himself up into the air, and when he flew to one of the platforms that had been set up for him to rest on, he imagined the shadow he had seen to take shape, eyes on his prey, but he couldn’t tell. It was gone before he could. 

To the best of his abilities, Lucas had tried to wipe his mouth before he entered home, buried his face in the snow until no more traces of red were left, and then he’d covered it with more snow, to hide it from Yuqi and her watchful eyes. He liked her, she was better than her mother at taking care of him, and she always made certain to talk to him well while she passed by. Unfortunately, being the butcher’s daughter meant she was roped into all these uncanny jobs - no one else could have possibly fun delivering prey intestines to people and proudly showing off their origin, albeit it was ironic, that she could so easily touch raw meat and expose it to him, if not feed him, and yet she could not stand to see fresh blood. 

For another moment, he just watched her work in the kitchen, pull out little carefully packed plates of food and foil from her cooling box, placing them on the counter one by one. It was comforting, the idea of coming home to someone else, it was why he prefered to head out only around the time he knew she was coming, well aware of finishing his meal outside, leaving leftovers to other birds and predators, was usually well timed with coming in to her just finishing up. It was heartwarming, was better than being all on his own. 

One foot still placed on the ground solidly, he raised the other to get to the handle to open the door, stepping inside as fast as he could so he wouldn’t interrupt the warmth he had carefully worked up within the recent weeks with the outside cold. Feathers shaking and droplets falling off, jumping a bit in place to get the snow off his claws, the little welts on his skin, and it must have been the clicking of his talons against stone that notified Yuqi of his arrival more than anything else. Her eyes were warm where they met his, the smile on her lips soft, and she just put down the last plate before she could close her box. “Aren’t you getting too cold out there, Xuxi? You should stay inside, before you catch a cold.”

A reply didn’t come, not immediately, as he was too busy skipping onto the table top, balancing with his heel on the edge, to not scratch the wood with his talons, balance carefully kept by lightly flapping his wings, just so he could tear the covers on one serving of his food with his other foot’s claws. “I wasn’t out long,” he answered, and it wasn’t exactly wrong when in summer he liked to stay all day out. Now that it was colder, the weather unfit for flying for long, he prefered to just watch from the inside instead, the warmth of a home feeling less lonely than the cold of the outside. 

With practiced skill, he picked up one of the small intestines, and threw it up into the air, catching it with his mouth to swallow in one go, not bothering to chew when there was no one to reprimand him for his manners. Ready to pick up another, he was only distracted by the sound of her clattering, moving around the kitchen to collect the plates of dishes he had already finished, compiling them so she could put them in the dishwasher. On most days, that would be his job, to put them inside there after he was done eating, to get them washed so she could pick up a bunch of them again once she had returned, but it had been days since he had last been able to do that, no fingers coming in handy currently, nothing to aid him in his daily tasks. He was growing lazy, and he wouldn’t even deny it. Winter wasn’t his season, he didn’t like to go out into the cold for too long, no matter how much he loved being able to fly around, unable to do the same inside, neither did he like the clothes he had to wear, to keep his skin somewhat warm in the falling snow, the fabric restrictive and something he liked to get rid of as soon as he came home. Only he hadn’t been able to do that either since he hadn’t changed shapes, and as he watched her now, moving around, fulfilling his duties, a gnawing sense of guilt over neglected tasks crept up his guts. Very well aware of the generous life he lived, of the contrast it was to his time in the lab, he didn’t want to burden those who just watched over him, didn’t want to be treated like the pet he was supposed to be. So he jumped down again, feet on the ground, and bones cracking back into place, resounding in the silence of the room as they popped back into place, shrinking subtly, cartilage grinding against the solid material and he had to grit his teeth as he felt his muscles snap back into their original shape - or whatever they had destined as his original form. It had never been his decision to make.

A pained gasp escaped him as skin stretched taught over the reshaped limbs, and he took his first inhale of air since he had willed his body to morph, pain he would never get possibly used to, even after over a decade of experiencing it. Only covering it up had become easier, and despite the sweat lining is forehead, running down his nape, he gave Yuqi a generous smile as he brushed off the leftover feathers, the ones that hadn’t managed to transform back into their original state of hair. He left them behind, not caring about them for now, and yet he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist to pick up the most beautiful of them later, before he retreated to his room. Rather he stepped around them, to join his feeder in the kitchen and help her organize the chaos he had caused, things strewn around from when he had only had his claws to grab them, and the dirty dishes he hadn’t yet sorted to wash. Despite the shock that had permeated her features just a while ago, he could now see the gratitude in her face as he helped her out, relief at not having to do it all on her own. 

It was amidst this dutiful silence that she spoke up again, her big eyes curious as she took him in, “Will you be alone for much longer? Doesn’t it get lonely, being all on your own here?” 

“Until summer,” Lucas answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could. That wasn’t a bother, not generally - his family wasn’t _family_ , they were people who had purchased him as a token of their wealth alone, a trophy left to rot on the shelves, and that they hadn’t even taken him along to the big city spoke heaps of his worth to their emotional standing. Like a pet taken to shows, he was the thing they wanted to look proper when they had guests while they stayed in their summer residence, the few weeks it lasted, and then they granted him his limited freedom again. It was only the grandness of the house that sometimes became too much for him, with rooms upon rooms, and no one to fill them. It was only then that he felt lonely at times, and wished he had company that was not only these few humans. “But it’s okay. They’ve introduced me to this place called amazon and told me to buy whatever I want so I’ve invested in games recently. I’ve just purchased another if you want to stay and watch?”

The wry smile he received in return, earlier than her words, told him all he needed to know. “The shop…”

In a way, maybe it had been cruel of her to ask about his well-being when she wasn’t able to supply. But Lucas wouldn’t blame her, not when she had responsibilities and he led the live of freedom many must desire. He just wished he’d sometimes have someone to talk to for a bit longer than a few hours every week. 

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

The snow had stopped falling in the morning, and with the sun having shined all day long, even now that Lucas had settled next to the generously sized circle window in his room, claws curled around the handle his family had installed for him not to scratch the walls open, it was still rather bright outside. Winter always meant the sun went down faster, which generally didn’t bother him, regardless of his light sources his eyes were good enough that he had no trouble reading, fingers carefully skipping the book pages he was only half-heartedly reading over, distracted by his thoughts rather than written word. 

It has happened for a few days now, seeing the unknown shadow out in the woods, too far away even for him to make out properly, and all he could say at this point was that it was another animal - big, predator without doubt. Not making a movement, he hadn’t dared tell Yuqi just yet, despite her daily stepping by, despite her noticing him being off just earlier that day. Only when she had asked, he had not had an answer at the ready to offer to her. Nothing had happened - no attacks, no rumors, no incidents. He hadn’t considered it wise to possibly cause some unease just yet. 

Slowly, instead of looking at his pages, his gaze drifted away, over the white painted gardens, towards the base of the poles serving as his playground some hundred yards away, traces of red scattered around, from birds of prey having dragged around his leftovers or even dropped them. Curiously enough, there were only traces, broken up in between, and he couldn’t help the way his brows furrowed lightly at the sight. It was an unusual sight, for as much as birds dared come clean up after him, none of them usually picked up what was dropped on the ground, too careless and unable to scent the bits down there. In fact, he couldn’t either, albeit he reasoned that having a better nose would be useful now that he wanted to sniff out what was going on with that weird creature out there.

And he could only reason that it was this intruder on his territory stealing what’s fallen off, the marks left in the snow too deep to be from a bird, and no other animal would possibly be sane enough to willingly step into his territory, not unless they were certain there was no trace of him, which meant nighttime most often, lest they were airborne, fast enough to evade him in the skies. But grounded prey, they were too slow, would easily be caught, meant to serve as another meal, an afternoon snack, if he so may. As much as the Madame despised him going to hunt for the wild, it was undeniably laid into his genetic sequence, the animal instincts ingrained in his genes they had paid so much for to be mixed with human DNA. He wasn’t as eager to change that as she was, was content with being parts animal, with having all these _lesser_ instincts. At least he didn’t deny them, didn’t refute that he was territorial, that he didn’t want to share, and didn’t look for any more logical reason than _instincts_ , simple as it was. 

Instincts and territorial needs, they made him more than curious about this intruder, had him yearn to simply know whether it was a threat or not, something he needed to fight regardless of all the scoldings he’d earn for that, the trouble he’d undoubtedly be in after, or something he could let pass because it wouldn’t threaten his supply of food. Specialized eaters, many animals were, cohabitating in places their feeding desires didn’t overlap, and Lucas wouldn’t even mind if that were the case. If there was no overlap, he didn’t care, because he wouldn’t need to share. And, heavens forbid, he didn’t want to share by no means. 

Now that there was _something_ , though, something to threaten his stake, something to excite him in his endless white days of solitude - now his instincts were tingling, ready to tip him over, to let him thrive on was happening. Only maybe he wasn’t yet prepared for what would next happen.

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

The incident was curious enough that it was on his mind when he went to bed still, and then when he woke up, throughout his breakfast and because it was so stubbornly stuck on his mind, he eyed his last mouse, curiously lifted the animal with his fingers to inspect it, before he glimpsed outside at the flat white. Thoughts racing through his mind, well aware that today would not be his hunting day, with food getting delivered but no livestock for him to chase down, it was a quick decision for him to make. 

Tail stuck between his teeth to have his hands free, he reached for his jacket near the door to slip on, to cover his otherwise bare upper body from the harsh cold, the breeze skimming over his legs and making him shiver. He was fortunate to not immediately feel the cold on his feet even as he stomped through the snow, tail feathers flat against his behind to guard at least there from the harsh winds that picked up the more he distanced himself from the house. A few yards away, far enough that animals with lesser eyesight wouldn’t see, he stopped, and flung the small animal with force towards the pole whose base was sprinkled with red on white. It should serve well enough as a bait, could have just dropped from the top, it shouldn’t make too much of a difference. A hungry mouth was a hungry mouth, and to get food they were all willing to feed. 

Shivering softly, now that the cold began creeping up his legs, he swiftly turned to stake back to the mansion, jumping on the entrance mat, get the snow off his feet, before he settled on the couch in the living room. It was no ideal cover, by no means, but with a distance so grand, with the TV on and obviously calling for his supposed attention, it should be sufficient to bait the creature he was waiting for. What bad luck it was for his today’s prey, the fact that his kind was better equipped for observations, to stay still while watching for food to devour. Target locked, yellow eyes focused on the base of his pole rather than the TV he had turned on from where he was perched on his wooden log, claws digging into the dead bark. 

Carelessly, without noticing, the time passed on, watch hands turning until it was feeding time even, with Yuqi’s truck pulling up in the courtyard but still, despite the shadow vaguely moving along the tree line, staking back and forth, there was no sign of the creature closing in on the food laid out. Perhaps it was waiting for more, now that Yuqi had arrived, meaning live feeding more often than not, and Lucas could just about expect how surprised she was at not seeing him wait outside, ready to hunt for the hare she’d set free. Instead, the box was put back in the car, and the cooler was grabbed from the trunk, for her to heave inside where he was still waiting. 

“Xuxi?” She yelled, as soon as she was inside, and Lucas, not daring to take his eyes off the gardens, only waved his arm her way, greeting her like that. Hyperfixations like his current one weren’t too unusual, had happened before, like that time when he had first figured how to handle the TV and put on dramas for him to enjoy, when his life had become more interesting with Netflix and cable TV to keep him entertained. It was better than the boring times before, when he had repetitively solved the same puzzle for days, task facilitated with his better eyesight, and it had definitely been better than his times in the lab, when he had grown up in the yard, the few years - faster than a human - until maturity. The age of puberty for humans had been years of gratefulness and learning for him, growing into this different life, where he wasn’t examined on the daily - “the new generation of hybrids,” as he and his batch had been called, siblings never to be seen again. Not all of them had been birds, not all of them had the some _mother gene_ , but they all had shared one trait - they could morph.

A first generation, it meant there were many unforeseeable matters involved in their lives, but where Lucas was concerned, he hadn’t ever paid too much mind to that. Words like “more animalistic behavior and tendencies” or “medical causes” didn’t mean as much when there was no comparison for him, nothing but Yuqi’s and Auntie Kim’s curious stares every once in a while, whenever he morphed his form or started to make his little tokens, little crowns no one wanted to wear and which he hung on the trees bordering their gardens instead, still dangling there, circles made of branches, wilted flowers, rotten leaves and his feathers, bound together by wires and glue ever since the nurses at the ward had forbidden him to use too naturalistic aids. “It doesn’t fit a pet,” they had said, as if real cats didn’t bring in dead animals as well…

Behind him, he could hear the rattling of plates, head tilting curiously so he could catch the noise better, he had yet to take his eyes off the spot he had been watching since so long. Even if he had to stay until night, he wouldn’t mind doing that, so long as he could find out what - or who - that creature was. 

“Xuxi,” Yuqi called out for him again, and this time from much closer, even waving her hand in front of his face, and for once they were on the same eye level from how he was perched on his log. “Are you just going to keep doing that? Don’t you think that’s a bit creepy?”

The protest he might have had, about how he was alone at home, nobody to creep out, was muffled by the way she fed him a piece of meat, chopsticks hitting his teeth in a way that wasn’t comfortable at all, but the taste of it so undoubtedly good, he swallowed without second thought. “Yuqi,” he asked instead, teasing her a bit, but she had once confessed to him she liked this use of first names a lot, “Could you bring some extra meat tomorrow?”

A curious little noise escaped her, but the things she couldn’t see, he had already spotted. White against white, it was no wonder it had been so hard to catch sight of his intruder amidst the trees, when all of his invader seemed to be so tone-in-tone. But he couldn’t help the way his breath caught slightly in his throat, the person - and it was a person without doubt, with their perky white ears and golden glimmering eyes - toeing through the snow, uncaring of the cold against bare feet, to steal the mouse he had left behind hours ago. Slinky figure crouched down, fingers pawing for more food in the snow, and Lucas wasn’t surprised the figure must be hungry. Wildlife in their area was generally little, domestic cats hunted in the forests surrounding the village, farmer pets got rid of the rest, and what was big enough to survive was hunted down. Without livestock the whole town would have famished, but stealing livestock was hard - for a hybrid no less. 

Whatever Yuqi was making out, undoubtedly less than him, must have been convincing enough. “Mrs Son will wonder why the bills rose,” she protested softly, but it was barely sustaining, both of them aware Mrs Son couldn’t care no less about the money her husband was working for. _Trophy wife_ , the TV had called it, but without the youth to back it up. 

“Just bring some,” Lucas mumbled and this time, before she could feed him, he snatched the piece of meat from between her chopsticks to grab with his hands, nibble on while he watched the stranger in his yard. The white hybrid just sat there, curiously looked around, scavenging for more food. It was only when the hybrid looked around, chanced a look at the house and surely unknowingly finding Lucas with his piece of old meat, that the bird could catch a better look as well. Golden eyes, more animate than his own, dripping honey - they were beautiful, pulled him in, and without knowing, he found himself yearning for more. 

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

It was another day, with a piece of meat between his teeth, stuck there, uneaten, that he remained perched on top of his balancing pole. Iron wires keeping it in place, it gave a certain amount into each direction, allowed him to remain crouched, weight shifting a bit here and there, to prevent it from tipping over too much at all times. An easy enough task, with how focused he was on just watching the treeline, the shadow he could see slinking around behind. Normally it would be, today it was an exception, he was nervous, and because he was nervous, he was shifting his feet, unable to find the perfect spot to keep his talons hooked. The meat in his mouth made him hungry, salivating at the idea of how nicely it would fill his stomach if only he swallowed it down, and he wished he could.

He did not, though, because he had different plans, and with his eyes on the shadow in the woods he had lock on his today’s prey, not sooner letting go of his meat than the figure revealed themselves, and it didn’t matter that the wind was cold against his skin, not even his scarf enough to prevent the hairs at his nape to stand upright, nor were his flattened tail feathers sufficient to shield his behind and thighs. Without doubt, it was cold, and he was too close to freezing for comfort, had no means of understanding how the other hybrid could possibly bear with temperatures like these. 

Some of yesterday’s elegance was gone, had vanished into thin or whatever, Lucas wasn’t able to tell. All he knew was that the figure was behaving more sluggish, movements drawn out and slow, until the shadow grew the slightest bit in size, minimally, but it was visible. A difference born from movement, and warmth swirled around his insides, increasing only when he could see the stranger hybrid settle down in front of a tree, perfectly within his sight, and a sight it was to see indeed.

The other hybrid looked worse for wear today again, dark circles beneath golden eyes and sunken cheeks, Lucas couldn’t tell whether the clothes were just that bad of quality or hanging off the stranger’s body so sleazily because he was worn thin. To an extent, he doubted it would make too much of a difference when the result was the same either way - the canid hybrid was hungry, evidently so, or he wouldn’t intrude on another hybrid’s territory, in such shameless way especially. And the hawk was fascinated, or he wouldn’t do something like this, so utterly stupid, invite the preying hybrid in the way he was, with his wings fluttering in grand strokes, sending the pole swaying this way and that, until he finally decided to let go, relieve the stressed wires off their burden of keeping the wooden pole in places. In the same movement, he flung his head, let go of the meat to throw it closer to the treeline. 

Considering that he didn’t have arms to use, it was no surprise it didn’t fly too far, dropped into the snow with a sound that he couldn’t make out anymore but the white hybrid clearly could, ears twitching and eyes fixated on the treat for a moment, where it lay in the snow. Nose wrinkling cutely, it was the most of a reaction Lucas awaited before he got a move on, with his wings moving strongly, he heaved himself up higher, just enough so he could then turn, use the winter breeze to his advantage to sail back to the mansion. Only for the last few yards did he use his wings again to elevate himself enough to land on the upper floor terrace, feet catching onto the lithic railing to keep him in place while he pulled his wings back in, shivers raking down his body as he settled again. Flying in the cold was more uncomfortable, had his muscles itching even as he jumped to achieve a one-eighty turn, to observe the other hybrid from a safer distance for the both of them. 

Earlier, by choosing the swinging pole, he had chosen one more secluded from his usual eating spot, the same distance from the trees but further from the house, and whilst the distance was greater, it didn’t limit his sight. Despite it, he could still see the twitching in the other hybrid’s body, the shy need to eat and food right in front of him, a defty piece of meat, basically served on a silver plate. 

Nervously, from anticipation and the cold alike, Lucas shifted in his spot, curious about what the other hybrid would do now, snatch or neglect, and how long it would last when even his feet were feeling numb already. Lessened nerves made him lack a certain sense of sensitivity up to his calves, the scientists had explained to him before, when they had run tests on him still, but it didn’t mean they were entirely dull to outside reactions, and cold stone beneath his digits, it was uncomfortable, had him nervously scratch around the railing until he realized his mistake, remembered that he had been scolded for the same before. This was not one of his scratching seats, after all. 

Carefully he shifted his weight, wings stretched behind for balance as he leaned forward, inspected the damage he might have inflicted on the surface where, fortunately, nothing was seen. Something else was, though, and he curiously angled his head enough to see how the canoid had moved, carefully trailing along the fields to get to the piece of meat. The lack of a threat must have been evident, even with Lucas being out in the open still, for the white hybrid halted just a moment before it settled, crouched down in the snow to tear apart the meat in his hand and hungrily gulf down. It was a fascinating view, unkempt instincts, showing none of the manners Lucas had seen a handful times on domesticated hybrids, the same manners he had been carefully taught by the Madame. Were she around, he wouldn’t even be allowed to eat without cutlery, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a tug of envy at another being, for being allowed to so easily release their inner desires, to show off how nature told them to behave, to seem so undoubtedly free.

As beautiful a moment it was, everything had to come to an end, and this one ended with Yuqi’s car coming into sight - or earshot, as he reasoned, after the canoid’s ears twitched again. Holding onto the meat with his teeth, similarly to how Lucas had done an hour or so ago, he took off to disappear into the woods again, before the familiar beige pick-up truck had even arrived at their yards. Lucas simply made a mental note to tell her to bring bigger pieces of meat in the future as well. 

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

It took almost one week, excruciatingly long, earlier mornings and later evenings slowly taking a toll on Lucas’ energy levels, feeling too drained even to morph his arms and take the easy way out to get to his playgrounds. Instead he had decided, and currently regretted, to make the way by foot, bundled in a thick jacket as he slowly stomped through the snow at a time the skies were still a dull grey. Unwilling to expose his fingers to the freezing cold, he had reverted to carrying the food with his teeth again, wrapped in a piece of foil so it wouldn’t stain his jacket, regardless of the dark color, he would see the stain and feel guilty for sure. 

All of it - the exhaustion creeping into his bones and the cold permeating his whole body - was worth it, he decided this morning, when he heard a little yipping sound, a greeting way better than the silence he was usually met with. Sticking with the line of trees still, the canoid hybrid was waiting, sitting on a thick root protruding from the snow, tail slowly wagging behind him, and as exhausted as Lucas felt as awake did the other look. Blearily he blinked, for a moment he wondered whether he was just imagining the white haired boy due to fatigue, could only decide based on the glinting of gold which he could not possibly imitate with delusions that the other must be real indeed. At least it made feeding easier.

Teeth gritted and brows furrowed, he untucked his hands from under his armpits to grab the meat and unpack it, and with actually present fingers and arms, he could grab it and fling it closer to the tree line as well. It was easier like this, thrown further than he’d usually achieve in his more natural form, standing on the ground bringing him so close he could even see the fine dust of snow whirled up at the impact. A detail he barely paid attention to, eyes snapping towards the other hybrid instead, whose tail was adjusted to stand upright rather than sway lazily, focus put on the piece of meat, golden eyes moving from bird to food and back again. The hesitation, nonverbal as it was, was obvious all the same, and contrasting his usual behavior, this time the bird didn’t give space.

Or rather, he didn’t give much, only made efforts to get out of the immediate snow to perch on a fallen over tree stump instead, one of the first poles that had been installed, fallen over and left as per his request, and it came in handy now. Not warm at all, it was better than the snow at least, didn’t equal continuous cold creeping through his leathery skin as he curled his digits around it, one hallux breaking through the bark, tearing a hole, with the cracking sound resonating through the chilly early morning air. Sufficient noise to startle even the other hybrid out of his reverence, it seemed, as it slowly got a move on, careful at first, on guard, ready to run on the first sign of danger.

“I’m not going to chase you through the snow, dog…” Lucas mumbled into his collar, trying to stay as warm as he possibly could by making himself as small as he could, curled up inside his coat, tail feathers brushing along the snow piled up on the tree. Disregarding his speed in the airs, he was not possibly any sort of match for the other at the current moment, and albeit the other hybrid looked more malnourished, it was his discomfort that would put him at a disadvantage as well. Hawks, as specialized hunters as they were, were prey as well, and that was a detail Lucas was still aware of at the back of his mind. Clearly, without his wings out, he was in the worse situation at this current time. 

“Fox,” a gravelly voice corrected, like rubble rolling over marble, a tone that was unusual but not unpleasant, and it had the bird peek out from his collar, yellow eyes curious as he looked at the hunter settling down next to the meat finally. Fingers curled around the red piece, it took only seconds for fangs to tear it apart, claws ripping holes into the dead tissue from the force it took to keep it in place while biting parts off. Again, the sight was accompanied by this odd warmth in Lucas’ body, the envy of naturalistic tendencies, blatant display of wilderness and strength that had him shifting on his tree a bit. “But I guess since we’re related to dogs you aren’t entirely wrong…”

Onslaught of tiredness, it was not enough to prevent the shy little smile on the bird’s lips, curving his mouth as he buried his face deeper into his cushioned collar, trying to seek solace from the wind ruffling through his hair. “Foxes are rare,” he recalled from a documentary he had seen a while ago, from the rarest to the most common, hybrids that had been created to save some species’ gene material from going extinct and hybrids that had been created to cater to human interest, the newest inventions, just like he had been one. The general consensus, though, was that predators weren’t as welcome, not unless they were an _it-item_ , and considering folklore tainting some reputations… “I didn’t know you could look like this.”

The white male’s eyes were curious, head tilted aside in question but the munching never stopping. “Look like what?” He asked, voice almost wary, and with the breeze sifting through the worn out, dirtied clothes, Lucas could see hints of bruises for the first time. It had him curl up tighter, intimidated by the sight, not because he was afraid of the fox himself but because of the implication behind, that this hybrid was treated worse than him when he had been spoiled ever since adoption. 

“Pretty,” he answered, almost thoughtless, but with how focused he was on the stranger, he could see the little freeze and the red dusted on whose cheeks regardless, a flush that was too delayed to be caused by the cold instead of his words. For a moment, he wondered how that felt, to be touched by a compliment he received, because all those directed at him had always sounded more like an assessment on art, as if he was a product, and not a being worthy of praise. It was refreshing now, to see this reaction on someone else, so honest and outright, albeit the reminder of the cold had him shifting some more, halluxes clawing into the bark more. All about this other hybrid was refreshing, to be exact, the unrestrained freedom and shown off wildness, the most honest of reactions, and the sweet smile that flourished across the other’s face, eyes disappearing almost from the way they curved. Lucas, despite the beauty of it, realized he missed the golden sheen near instantly.

The fox, rather than reacting with words, simply finished his meal, lips stained red and licked clean quickly, a sight that was hypnotizing. Hands washed clean in the snow, mouth rubbed dry, and he was stretching his limbs, clothes shifting, revealing patches of skin, covered in fine hair that likely no one but the aerial would be able to see, and which finally answered the question of how the stray was able to withstand the cold, stay outside when every night the temperatures dropped below the freezing point. It was barely there, no better than what he could see on some fruits, taking nothing from the details of a thinning but undoubtedly strong body, with only one thicker patch he could catch sight of. A change of turns, because this time he could feel his own cheeks catch on fire, warmed up from embarrassment as he quickly averted his sight, took in the ever same white before he switched back to the other hybrid. 

So far, his guest had not moved, had merely taken on a more comfortable stance, elbows on his knees and gaze pensive where it was directed at the bird. Instead of one of the predictable questions, though, instead of asking about the whereabouts of Lucas’ wings or his race, the only question that came was, “Did you make those?”

At first, the aerial couldn’t follow, not until the other pointed towards the treeline, had the freezing hybrid clambering around nervously as he adjusted his position to be able to see better, spot the wreath he had made, the last he had hung up before it had become so cold he hadn’t braved through it again. Thanks to the weather, it had come apart at sections, some of the feathers lost, one stuck in a nearby brush, tattered and torn from the barren branches, one of the fixing wires come loose, branches hanging in it more messily. It wasn’t his best work, now that he looked at it, tried to find the spots he could improve with the next coming season, now that he had more feathers to use from all the morphing he did. 

“They’re pretty,” the fox decided, almost teasing in the way he used the same phrase Lucas had earlier, who couldn’t help snapping his head around to look at the white-haired. It was an earnest compliment, it was spoken with good intent, and it was enough to drive the heat up to his face, finally understanding what the other had felt, being complimented so courageously. In something resembling a rewarding gesture, the canoid pulled one of the striped feathers which had originally been hung up, from a pocket or wherever it had been stored, waved it through the air as he repeated, “Pretty.” And this time Lucas wasn’t too sure this was about the wreaths still.

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

Mornings, ever since he had started talking to his fox, had become different, had morphed the saying of _the early bird gets the worm_ , because Lucas was more eager to catch the other hybrid, delivering pieces of meat of his own morning and evening, every time horizon and sun kissed, the time that was most natural for them to meet. The more often he did it, the more often they talked, the less he minded having to take a nap in the afternoon because he was tired, or the amount of tea he had taken to drink. And at this point, he thought nothing more could surprise him about the other male but, sacred skies, he was proven wrong with ease.

Stirring milk and sugar into his tea, he walked across the living room, indoor lights battling with the outside dark, when he caught sight of movement out on the veranda, white that wasn’t snow, white that wasn’t unmovable. Sleepily, he blinked his eyes, took a moment to realize it was not his imagination playing tricks on him but indeed his daily forest guest who was crouched down outside, leaning against one of the pillars, tail protectively wrapped around his waist. Late relief coursed through Lucas’ veins when he realized there were no wounds on the other, no signs of attack from the rare hunter who stayed at the town, the ones he heard about from Yuqi on the seldom encounter of. 

Pattering across the floor and towards the door, the first encounter of cold air against his skin had the bird hissing and hopping back, irritated by winter’s breath meeting unprotected flesh, no need for clothes when he was inside, albeit he now wished he had some because the season’s kiss was ruthless on him. Whether it was the sound of the sliding door or his voice, Lucas wasn’t too certain, it was sufficient to make the fox turn his head, eyes tired and curved, not from rising early but staying up late, and in a way that said nothing and all at once, he just stated, “Someone took down my raised hide.”

Confirmation the bird wasn’t certain he wanted, about the other’s unwarranted freedom, explaining worn down clothes and famished days and regardless of species, he wondered how any hybrid could possibly stomach staying so long outside during freezing winter temperatures. Without a word, he stepped aside, an unspoken invitation, and he felt relief when the other accepted without further ado, stepping inside in a manner so shy it didn’t seem to fit with the strong appearance usually exhibited out in the courtyards. Golden eyes that looked around in curiosity, glimpsed towards parts of the house that were visible and not, the limited space that was eligible to them, with a living room too generous to not intimidate any newly arrived person, and a kitchen barely caught glimpses of from the distance, and eventually settled on Lucas. Something about the canoid’s gaze was different, settled like a weight sitting heavy in his guts, had him feel heated as he beared with fluid metal scouting his body, feeling out the little dips and hills of his figure in a way he couldn’t remember anyone else had ever done before. A weird feeling, and he didn’t know whether to revel in it or shy away from it. Words he recalled now, echoing in his mind - hawks were prey as well, to those who knew how to hunt them down. 

“Won’t your owners mind?” The fox asked, at the same time as Lucas inclined his head towards the kitchen, and meeting those golden eyes head on felt like getting showered with lava, molten metal, hot and searing, running down his body, making him feel all sorts of things he couldn’t name. 

Slowly, the bird shook his head, stirred his tea once more, finally took some tentative steps towards the kitchen and only when he noticed his guest was ready to follow him did he up the pace. “They’re almost never here,” he answered finally, followed by the hollow sound of his mug being placed on the kitchen table while he passed by it, to grab a plate from the fridge instead, holding the breakfast he had meant to deliver to the fox later on. “Aside from Yuqi and Auntie Kim visiting, I’m on my own for most of the year.” Instead of later, he handed it over now, placed it on the table, across the seat he claimed, pulling his tea in closer again to take a slow sip. 

A surprised little yip slipped the other’s lips, coming from deep within his chest, the subtle vibration that had white fabric fluttering. White fabric which was filled out better slowly, not anymore hanging down in the same loose manner but looking more run down at the same time. “You got all this to yourself?” The fox repeated, hesitating for all of a second before sitting down, self-restraint beaten by hunger, evident in the way clawed fingers tore at the red lump almost instantaneously. 

Lucas hummed in reply, lips wrapped around his mug as he watched, warmth spreading through his body as he observed his guest positively devour his breakfast. A striking contrast, familiar clashes, they only seemed to be emphasized as they were in his home, the neverending neat and clean orderliness the Madame prefered, the way he himself was drinking his tea in the mannerful way he had been taught, not even his bared skin was a match to the other’s unrestrained self. Everything about the fox was free, was wild, stood out when compared to Lucas’ domesticated self, and he felt himself torn once again between awe and intimidation, a gap which was flooded by heat that was not borne from the tea he slowly gulped down.

Half of his wake-up drink was still in his cup by the time his guest was done with eating, and without another word or prompt, the white-haired got up, plate in his hand and walked over to the sink. Nothing but the running water echoed through the room as the canoid cleaned his hands and face, washed the plate with his hands, and the tan bird couldn’t help but feel struck by the ambivalence within those gestures. A hybrid who had run away, who had stayed in the woods for uncounted weeks, who had accustomed to wilderness so well - who knew to wash dishes and kept himself clean with a care only domesticated pets like Lucas himself were trained to. 

The bruises, he noticed now, as tattered sleeves were pushed up, were almost fully faded, only the barest hint of blue beneath white, hairs sparkling where the morning sun reflected soapy droplets, and without intending to an image shaped within his mind, an image he did not like. A story that spoke of nothing but pain. 

Rather than focusing on that for longer, he picked up on his mug again, averted his gaze from shifting muscles and bulging veins, but he couldn’t help the way it made him shift on his chair nervously, talons clacking against the ground a bit restlessly. “Do you want to take a shower?” He asked in lieu, before he could possibly consider prying into topics that weren’t his to be discussed. _Not yet anyways_ , a little voice in his mind whispered. 

“Is that possible?” The fox asked, overly eager, tail swaying this way and that, and Lucas could only stare for another moment before he nodded his head slowly.

“Sure. I’ll show you the way.” There was still some tea left in his mug which he didn’t drink, too distracted by the sight of his guest so innocently delighted at the prospect of something like a shower. Really, how could any hybrid ever bear with being so long on their own in the wild...

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

By whatever stroke of luck, the fox had passed out in Lucas’ bed before Yuqi had arrived, and he was still there by the time she had left, curled up on top of the blankets as if the lack of any outside had made it his habit to sleep like that. Or, he reasoned now, it had to do with the fine body hair, great for keeping the cold out when in the wild but when it was so perfectly heated, accommodated to Lucas' range of comfort in the rooms he used the most, they might trap too much heat, make it harder to regulate. It was easier visible now that those run down clothes had been replaced by some of his own, oversized short-sleeve having slid up, rumpled and bunched, and pants that were too loose around the tail, meant to fit the amount of feathers adoring the bird’s rear, not a skinny white tail, as softly fuzzy as it might look.

In fact, it looked so fuzzy that Lucas had to restrain himself from reaching out to feel across it, texture so foreign to him he couldn’t help being curious, fur so fine it was too alluring to his eyes. Lest he get tempted too much, he moved back, settled on his little swing instead, no more than an old tree trunk hung between support poles like a Hollywood swing. It moved slightly as he settled on it, chains rattling and he flinched when he could see white ears twitching in return.

“Your human left?” The fox asked, voice low and gruff, sending shivers down the room owner’s spine. Albeit the latter refused to admit to that, crouched down on his swing and settled in a comfortable position instead, eyes stubbornly turned towards the circle-shaped window at the head of his room. Outside it had started snowing again, Lucas didn’t even want to think about what this would have meant for his guest and yet he still managed to release a low hum in response, more thrilled to hear more of the other’s voice. “She called you Xuxi. ‘s that your name?”

Lazily, Lucas blinked his eyes, processing the question for a few seconds before subtle dread settled low in his guts. For the first time after a good fortnight of having talked to the other hybrid he realized he had never bothered asking for a name, had never introduced himself, and it felt awkward bringing it up only now, had him nervously shifting on his swing, chains creaking in protest. “Most people call me Lucas. I thought you were asleep?”

The fox’s ears twitched again, the only sign of movement coming from the white haired who remained almost motionless on the bed. If not for the steady rise and fall of whose chest, the bird would have been worried. “Good hearing,” the canoid answered and then, after a short delay, he asked, “Aren’t you going to ask for my name too?”

Had he any sort of gag reflex, Lucas might have choked on air right then. As it was, there was only wood cracking between his digits as he clawed into the wood a bit harder, and in the same way he had been instructed to, swallowing down his spit and pride, he asked, “What’s your name?”

Barely there, something that was supposed to be missed out on by anyone who wasn’t him, he noticed how the other hybrid’s cheek rose subtly, hints of a smile seen from behind, and realizing that he was staring again, the bird was quick to divert his gaze again. The outside was pretty too, pretty and white, white like the furry tail curled around a human figure in his bed and-

“Jeno,” the fox rumbled lowly, and it was the last of a noise for a while, silence heavy between them and at the same time it was not, it was tough for Lucas to settle with exactly how to feel the entirety of this situation, curious about things but not knowing what to ask exactly, it was just the entirety of _Jeno_ that had him curious. Despite that, with the canoid looking so peaceful, curled up on his bed, so perfectly fitting in, he didn’t dare speak up again, could only battle himself in regards to not staring like the creep he felt he already was. He was well aware it was in his genes to observe his prey, to watch the little birds he didn’t bother hunting down because they were tough to take hold of mid-flight, had hunted mice and bunnies when he had been smaller too, before his domestication. Jeno, though, was not his prey, was not a small thing for him to devour - it was the other way around, it was him who could easily fall prey to the better equipped hunter, and mayhaps it was for exactly that reason he was so nervous - watching the sleepy hunter while knowing he was a possible aim, it had him feel on edge, and it had subtle shivers of thrill race down his spine.

Before he could overthink this any further, before he’d end up drilling holes into the fox’s shrunk form, he jumped off his swing again, talons clacking where they met the tiled ground, warm even to his lessened digital senses. Steps that weren’t as quiet as he wished they were right now carried him towards the shelves to pull out a book he had ordered a while ago, the continuation of the same study he had read during evenings of wondering about the shadow strolling through the woods, the subtle figure he hadn’t been able to make out properly then. Now this same figure was resting in his bed, and making it hard for Lucas to even just recall what book he had been supposed to pick out in first place.

“You live here all alone?” The fox asked, and more than a question in itself it sounded like a request for confirmation. As if the lack of cars, the lack of human presence, the lack of sound hadn’t been enough to give it away yet. Nevertheless, with his fingers tracing along book spines and with a hum resonating low within his chest, Lucas gave his response, awaiting what else he was to anticipate from the fox. Cunning animals, clever in nature, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Jeno was the same, with wits far superior to straight forward hawks’. “Then who helps you during mating season?”

Fingers halting, Lucas has to consider the question for a moment, and unconsciously he rolls back his shoulders, chest prominent even as he turns around to regard the fox curiously. “I don’t have those,” he answers, as if it were that simple. To an extent, it was - the things he had seen on TV, in shows of all kinds, about _pets_ going crazy with their basic instincts, with mating cycles amplified by scientists messing with their genes too much, unable to control their urges, giving in to desires - nothing was familiar to him. For that same reason exactly, he couldn’t sort the origin behind Jeno’s inquiry.

“You don’t?” The fox repeats, and this time the white hybrid actually shifts, nothing more than a movement of upper body, to prep himself up, allow their gazes to meet unobstructed across the room. “This puts me into a bit of a blind spot,” Jeno went on, careful as he heaved himself up, movements slow and heavy from sleep but something underneath, energy brimming between them, it screamed _danger_ , and whereas usually it should chase Lucas away, a warning signal, red flag, it only kept him rooted in his spot now. Instead of running, instead of morphing to get into a safer spot, where he couldn’t be torn apart by a fox, he felt his tail feathers spread out, fanned in a half cycle to show off their red markings, the reason his mother race had been named the way they were. 

Jeno’s steps were sluggish, it seemed impossible, because Lucas was certain he had blinked no more than once and already did he find himself with a face full of white hair and dark eyes digging into his. Eyes as the mirror of the soul, looks that say more than a thousand words, and the bird felt positively taken apart, pinned against his bookshelves by nothing more than the other hybrid’s presence and energy. “Because I am going into rut soon. And I was hoping you could help me out, _Xuxi_.”

His name, never before, had sounded quite as sinful as it did right then, sending goosebumps trailing down his skin, muscles trembling but this time it was not to cause a shift, was different and yet the same to all those times he had willed his bones into cracking, breaking and regrowing, muscles shifted, stretched out, roots along his skin which got sparked by hormones, splitting into pieces until the thick feathery had covered his wings. It were jitters and twitches, were zaps and sparks of hormones, but none of his reactions spoke of a shift, signaled him taking on his more animalistic stance. All they did was make him feel heated, at the mercy of a predator he no longer knew to escape and, with a startle, he realized - he didn’t even want to. 

“I’m not- I haven’t-” He started and broke off, _flustered_ , which didn’t even make sense. He shouldn’t be _shy_ of all things in front of someone preying on him, natural enemy, even if their routines were all messed up, when nothing made sense in a naturalistic sense right then, there was also no denying the ugly creaking as his talons scratched over floor, when warm breath hit his neck and his feathers ruffled on instinct. 

“You don’t want to?” Jeno asked, underlying concern and seriousness, it was like a last way out, a chance for Lucas to back out and he knew the other would respect it, because maybe Jeno was a fox, someone he wouldn’t want to cross otherwise, but he was the same fox who hadn’t dared cross the borders of territory, who had fed on carcasses unto Lucas’ fed him, and cunning as they were said to be, he doubted that this very hybrid in front of him was filled with ugly intentions. Call it sixth sense, call it gut feelings, he didn’t know what to name it either, but all he knew was that he was already shaking his head without realizing.

Met with the white haired’s twitching ears and curiously prying eyes, words slipped his mouth without noticing, “I don’t think I was made for that purpose.” Euphemistic, it was a nice way to phrase what too many of them knew, that a good part of races had been borne from fetishization. Technology meant to save endangered species, there was nothing undoable with enough money, and Lucas was more proof of that than Jeno as well. Perfect to show off, he was a trophy pet indeed, with only the purpose of his purchase unknown to him when he spent so many weeks every year on his own in a house too big. 

Knowing glint in dark eyes, it was as unsettling as it was exciting, and this time the smile curling up the fox’s lips had nothing to do with sheer appreciation for his host, was not related to gratitude over receiving food. It was dark, sinister, full of promises Lucas didn’t know to pick apart and it was unsettling in an oddly comfortable way as well. 

“We do not think the same way then,” Jeno merely answered before he stepped back, and despite the increasing distance between them, by no means did the bird regard it an easier task to breathe suddenly. Chain reactions, like bubbles popping, they set off within him and caused reactions he was not confident to explain. All he knew, at this very moment, was that his guest was dangerous, and instead of chasing him away, it lured him further in. Quicksand, and he had willingly stepped inside. Cold water freezing his body and lungs, but he had willingly broken the ice. Shaky breath, he released it slowly while he watched the canoid curl up on his sheets again, intrinsic senses, satisfaction and content, this fox in _his_ bed, and for the first time he wondered whether maybe he had grown insane, left behind on his own, to consider as much as invite a hunter into his house. Feed a hunter. He wasn’t sure it wouldn’t be his hand that might end up getting bitten off. 

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

In a way, Jeno made him feel like he was back to the laboratories. Not because of strenuous tests on endurance and skill, albeit equally unnerving, with dark eyes trailing after his every move, examining him, and it had his feathers ruffled and chest puffed out, biceps flexing more when he didn't need to, simply because he knew Jeno was watching, and keeping the best pieces of meat to be investigated by golden observant eyes. Quite as much it had him shrink into himself, his head stuck under his wings when he felt liquid amber analyze him come evening, when he was too tired to shift, stuck in his animal figure, and Jeno not awake enough to keep his facade up, to hide his interest and cower behind the cover of sleep. Jeno had him want to show off, flaunt his knowledge, the borrowed wealth and provided food, and hide away, feeling small under preying eyes when he was the taller one, broader one - stronger one. A physical farce, their race too different, and still, it was a rope Lucas found himself desperately holding on to.

Jeno didn't push him, neither did the fox give up the chase, and it was that evening that Lucas was reminded of it again, with hot water turning into fog around him, small clouds drifting about, soothing his muscles and replacing the cold that had seeped deep into his skin, hadn't been held off by his clothes, all the less when morphed. With Yuqi bringing out a new toy, a catapult of sorts, allowing her to throw pieces of meat all over, they had spent a long afternoon, had remained outside, fooled and played around, with the only belated result being Lucas feeling frozen inside and out.

So focused on laving up his body, rubbing the little rough glove up and down his arms to get rid of the chill, he didn't hear the hunter until it was too late. Fingers, warm against his back, slowly traced down his spine, until they found the feathers above his rear. Nails, too sharp to be human, too dull to be a threat, slowly brushed through the downs, traced down his steering feathers, and gave them a testing tug. It evoked a scratchy sound to echo from Lucas' lips, ugly and shrill, it wasn't pretty in the least, yet it was exactly that which didn't seem to bother Jeno.

The fox, sleepy as he was, only yipped lazily before his arms came to curl around Lucas' figure from behind, fingers loose around whose waist, as the canoid snuggled in closer, head buried between prominent shoulder blades, face hidden from the world and making the gruff "G'morning" almost inaudible, especially with water covering the sounds.

It was not that which Lucas was focused on, because this was almost normal after another week together, he had grown used to Jeno's habits and traits, little quirks, and for someone behaving so rough, the younger sure wasn't quite as much. Cuddly and affectionate, slipping closer during the day when they shared the bed until Lucas found himself trapped, with a white head on his lap and ears tickling his thigh, with a lazy, sleepy, drowsy fox curled around him like now, making himself small, intimidating, and lacking all that little force required to break him down, in the most literal of ways as well. Birds were easy prey, easy to break, but it was not what he focused on right then, his mind taken by something else, enunciated by Jeno’s proximity to him - hot and hard, pressing against his ass, was the fox’s length, and certainly Lucas wouldn’t have been able to determine it as such if not for the other hybrid himself having warned him in advance. 

Ruts, he had read later on, after their conversation, when curiosity had won him over and he had settled in his owner’s study room to use a computer in private, away from his guest’s domineering presence, weren’t the same for all hybrids. Some were more aligned with their animalistic ancestors, some had been messed around with during heat sequencing too much. Considering foxes weren’t the most common of hybrids, Lucas had simply reasoned with himself that his housed hybrid was on that more naturalistic side, and seated in the heavy leather chair, he had become more squirmish than he was used to from himself. A few clicks too many, offers and ads, it all had ended with him looking at a _mating starter pack for humans_ who were… more inclined, and with his cursor hovering above the purchase button, his stupor had finally snapped, had him close his tabs in a frenzied hurry, unwilling to be caught, by Jeno and his own conscious at once.

That afternoon compared in no ways to how he felt now, restless with Jeno’s heat pressed to his back, and it wasn’t even like Jeno was doing anything, no more than lazily breathing into Lucas’ back, body motionless, stuck in position, and leaving the bird to his own reactions and needs. Heat coursed through his body, too sudden and too far from comfort, warm goo dripping through his veins lazily, replacing his blood, and it was a feeling so foreign he couldn’t help but wonder where it came from. It was difficult to tell, and he wouldn’t have been able to until he felt the shift in Jeno’s movements, hands falling lower on his stomach, a position more comfortable for the foc, and they brushed _something_.

A wet gasp left his lips, and behind him too, he could feel the other grow stiff at the realization they both had at once - that the artificial dick he had, the one not planned in bird biology, was maybe not so artificial after all, was hard and leaking and resting against his abdominal muscles, just below calloused hands, fingers digging into his stomach for support. “Oh,” he said stupidly, because there was nothing else he knew to say as his head fell down, as he looked at the organ that had hung limp on his body for all of his life finally show some activity. 

Pressing closer against his back, Jeno’s member pressing between his cheeks below his curved feathers, was the fox staring over his shoulder, gaze following the line of sight Lucas had already chosen. An unusual view, because he was aware that his penis was shaped after a human’s, was nothing special in comparison to Jeno’s which he had seen a few times, in between times of changing or running into another in the bathroom, but it was his first time to see it like that, was the first time he didn’t just regard it as an appendage made to look more human, more appealing to the eyes of those who meant to purchase him. Ironic, considering the Madame and her husband had never spared it a second glance, had simply handed him clothes and told him to be dressed appropriately at all times, so making this decorative change to bird physiology had been useless in a way. 

Or not so useless, as he reasoned now, as he watched Jeno’s fingers untangle and hover above his shaft in a questioning member. A chance, it was one they liked to give another time and time again, when offering food and affection alike, and Lucas knew he had ever right to decline, that he could just Jeno not to, could pull away and get ready for bed and sleep while being overly aware that the other was only just getting up. He didn’t, none of that, because the longer he looked, took in the contrast of calloused skin and rough fingertips with nails hard and long from staying out in nature, fine white hair that was so different to his hairless skin, to the soft feathers around his knees before his own skin surface changed, leathery digits on the seemingly distant ground, little ridges of his skin catching rivulets of water, and he was nodding his head before he had realized. 

The first touch didn’t feel like much, tentative and light, it was simply _nice_ \- and it changed way too quick. Slippery thanks to shower gel and water, the fox’s hand moved up and down his length, decisive jerks carrying the same unkempt precision depicted in the wilderness, and while it was not overwhelming, didn’t drive Lucas insane or into a frenzy, it was also why he appreciated it so much more. Subtle tingles that spread through his body, brimming excitement shallow beneath his skin, it had his talons scratch against the natural-kept stone beneath their feet, had his head drop back onto Jeno’s shoulder as he allowed himself to drown in the sensation.

Lips, warm and wet against his skin, kissed around his neck, open mouth contact and teeth scratching at his skin superficially, sharper than his own so out of use, they reminded him again that, trapped within Jeno’s arms, he was prey. A violent shudder had him squirm, and in quick response he felt the fox’s empty hand come around his waist, arm pressed firm against his stomach, keeping him in position as the movement of fingers around his cock sped up. There was more intent now, with nails digging into his side and teeth tugging at his skin, undoubtedly leaving behind bruises, Lucas could even feel the other’s length throb against his ass, so hot and heavy, way firmer than his own dick, and without noticing himself he was already out of breath, with his mouth fallen open, a wet mess under the streaming shower, little gasps slipped his lips ever so often. 

Unknowing where to put his hands, he couldn’t do any more than curl them around empty air, take hold of nothing whilst the air was continuously stolen from his lungs. His claws made ugly sounds, legs shifting nervously, a movement he didn’t regret at all when Jeno’s arm tightened around his waist to keep him in place, taking some of his weight off him, and it shouldn’t make him as restless as it did - _arousal_ , as he figured belatedly. It turned him on, to be so evidently in the weaker position out of the two of them, to be the one who could be pushed around, grabbed and held, an establishment of power, and it didn’t make him fear because he had faith. As stupid as it might sound, to trust someone he didn’t know a full month yet, there was no denying it was just that. A wild hybrid, unrestrained in instincts, tried his best not to scratch his nails too hard down his throat, had asked his permission, had kindly requested this very way of company.

The reminder had him tremble, choke on water running down his wrong pipe, and a desperate clicking sound resonate within his chest when Jeno halted his movements minutely. “You good?” The fox asked, voice low - gruff. Lucas shivered again, and without thinking much - he doubted he was even able to - he just pushed his hips upwards, thrusted into rough fingers demandingly. Against his back, he could feel the echo of suppressed laughter, could feel the moisture below his tail feathers which kept the shower water away, making him recall just why he was so wet down there. 

“You’re so light…” A mumble barely audible, proven in the way fingers grabbed tighter at his waist to lift him up, with such ease that Lucas found his halluces lifted from the ground, the shift of weight foreign to his feet. Something must have given his discomfort away, because Jeno set him down quite as fast again, and while the raise itself had not been to his liking, Lucas couldn’t deny that whose display of power had him tingly all over, feeling an odd itch from the top of his head to the tips of his talons. That the fox had said it out loud was of no help either, was only making him more sensitive, head tilting further as he clicked his tongue in delight at the teeth scraping his sensitive skin, right where he was most vulnerable. 

Standing under the steady stream of the shower, too many of their sounds were drowned out, slick movements muffled, and even their voices more dull. Still, it didn’t mean the bird didn’t hear Jeno’s voice well enough, not when it was so close to his ears, asking almost timidly, “Can I kiss you?”

It was cute - Jeno was cute, looking past dark caramel eyes and sturdy claws, behind the facade of a predator, there was a softness betrayed by the fuzziness of body hair, the silkiness of white ears, and eyes that curved so prettily whenever the fox was full of joy, delighted at simple things like the prospect of food. Endearing, charming big creature, and before, Lucas had never really gotten the appeal in hybrids in human eyes, why they were so obsessed with their new generation of pets, just what it was they wanted. Looking at Jeno, though, at sharp canines protruding, lips slick from water, swollen from neck kisses, and eyes that pooled like liquid amber, he thought he could understand it eventually. 

Instead of answering, he tilted his head further, to press his lips against the other’s in a manner equally as shy as the question had been, not experienced enough to be able to figure just what he was doing. It was the happy little hum that told him he hadn’t done anything wrong yet, and with Jeno’s mouth moving against his, it was all too easy to fall into a rhythm, learn the patterns, apply them again. Hybrids, they were better at garnering experience from peers, better than humans, and with the fox’s tongue slipping past his lips, the taste of meat and sleep and wilderness penetrating his own, Lucas couldn’t help moaning out loud. 

Too many things happened at once, with a foreign tongue rubbing against his, with bodily reactions he wasn’t familiar enough with, with Jeno’s length growing against his rear, he was overcome by his high before he had realized. There was nothing to warn him in advance, there was only some ticklish sensation somewhere between his rear and penis - his testicles, he would recognize once he was able to think again, an organ they didn’t need to move to the outside when he was still a _bird_ \- and then he was spilling his cum. It was an odd sensation, to feel his dick leak for the first time in his life, no way to describe it exactly, albeit there was some sort of pressure popping, like blowing water through a straw. It had his fingers trembling midair as his muscles locked up momentarily, body weight sagging, held up by Jeno alone, with Jeno’s taste filling his mouth, Jeno’s presence at his back. It was maddening.

“Can I- try something?” The fox asked, breath labored, and Lucas was too mentally fucked out to offer too much resistance as he simply nodded his head, still caught up in that mellow aftertaste of pleasure, allowed the other to bend him this way and that, until his lower arms were resting against the wall, his back arched in one smooth curve. The dry spot between his cheeks, below his feathers, was no longer untouched by moisture despite it not having been water, and it was knowledge that trickled into his consciousness like a single drop of ink in a vase of water. It was a realization that had him moan under his breath, body going more pliable at once, receiving to whatever Jeno was planning to do.

Not much, he realized slowly, his body wrapped with cotton, sensations dulled, and by the time he was hit by the awareness of the white hybrid using his cheeks to put pressure on his cock, that his precious downs were used to stimulate the tip, it was almost too late. Hot wetness spilled against his feathers, soiled the downs he so carefully liked to keep arid, knowing they were a hassle to wash. It was something he should point out now as well, that Jeno better clean up his mess, but fingers pressing into his skin had him halt with words stuck at the back of his tongue. Fingertips rubbing into his skin, smearing around moist - cum - and massaged it into his skin. So primitive, so primal, utterly feral, this intrinsic need to mark and claim, leave his scent on Lucas when they weren’t even mates. Albeit that, too, suddenly didn’t seem like too bad of an idea, body giving the green light to what his heart had been reluctant to admit, and his mind nothing but lagging behind, unable to think straight with fingers on his skin and warm fuzz still running through his veins. 

This had felt good. Relaxing. He wouldn’t mind more. 

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

It was cold when Lucas woke up, or maybe he woke up because it was cold, it wasn’t like he could tell. All he knew was that, even bundled up with his blanket, curled up in his bed, he was freezing and shivering, the warmth he was so acquainted to at home no longer prevailing, and it gnawed on him, a bad hunch that had him open one eye carefully. Instead of the usual light, the small lamp he liked to leave on during the night so he didn’t feel quite like the prey his instincts made him out to be, there was only darkness around him, void even of the light of the moon at night, and without the aid of light it took him longer to make out familiar shapes around his room.

Sleepily he blinked, had to wait for some few minutes unto his sight wasn’t as blurry anymore, unto he could make out the time displayed on the analogous clock hung on the wall, time too early even for his early rising tendencies. The saying of _the early bird gets the bird_ seemed to hit harder when he, most literally, was part bird, used to getting up early, to trudge around the house until his body was awake and muscles had loosened up. None of it seemed to matter this morning when he blinked again, sleazily, cuddled deeper into his blanket, and caught the sight of golden dots standing out in the dark, bright despite a lack of light reflecting off them. Or maybe that was simply his delusionally endeared thinking, his own mind helpfully supplied.

“The light went out an hour or so ago,” Jeno answered his unspoken question with his quiet voice, intentionally lowered to not startle Lucas anymore than he already was, could already feel his heart thumping heavily in his chest, not sure whether he should fault that on the fact he was _prey_ in a fox’s eyes or on the way Jeno looked unfairly handsome even at the dead of night, looked more innocent and boyish now that he could properly take care of himself within the comfort of a modern house. Though, Lucas quietly reasoned to himself, his perception on the other’s features had more often than not been unrelated to the question of time. As if the weather was agreeing, the following explanation was underlined by the howling of the wind outside, “The snowfall picked up after you fell asleep. It must have turned into a full-on blizzard at this point…”

Considering he had only just woken up, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Lucas took a bit longer deciphering these words, whatmore, his body didn’t seem to want to cooperate, slowed down by the cold to the point even sitting up with the blanket wrapped tightly around him seemed like a burden. Having a blackout wouldn’t be the first time, it happened almost every year, had more to do with the structures in town than the house, something about electric circuits and forwarding and all sorts of professional terms he hadn’t fully understood. The greater problem was that, even if he turned on the breaker, there was no telling that it would supply them with energy again, more so, with a raging blizzard, it seemed more likely it was regional, not to mention that he most definitely did not want to walk out. Because, by some irony of the architect or whoever else it had been, their cutouts had to be placed outside the house. He hadn’t ever really understood that reasoning…

Naturally, there were alternatives to this, going the traditional way was easier when he was on his own, not as affected by the lack of heat as his owners seemed to be, based on the rant the Madame had given once on some circuit breaking in their city home, all the food in the fridge spoilt. It didn’t matter because Lucas, originally, was someone attuned to eating carcasses, stomach sturdy enough to hold out with days old meat eaten, and considering meat was pretty much the only thing in the fridge currently, it really didn’t matter as much. Doing it the old-fashioned way, in this case, meant to go use the fireplace in the living room, with the biggest complication being getting there - a shriek escaped him when he tried to get out of the blanket, was exposed to the chilly outside air, house already cooled down due to the outside weather, cold creeping in through the walls. 

Considering the circumstances, leaving bed seemed way more repulsive, regardless of reason telling him that it was smarter to get to the fireplace soon, to have some warm spot to spend his day, was well aware he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else anyways. Reason didn’t always outweigh sensations, though, and with his bed still all warm-

All thoughts left his mind at a sudden pull, the way he felt weightless for all of a second, as if he were flying, which didn’t make no sense when neither did he show his wings nor had he elevated himself up. Despite that, in the blur of a moment, his view changed from the doorway to the ceiling, arms hooked beneath his body to pick him up, wrapped tight around his limbs and the blanket covering them. “Living room?” Jeno asked, voice so much closer, breath tickling against his ear, and Lucas felt reminded of that time in the shower, not even two days ago, when the fox had been that close and more, when the warmth of the shower had surrounded them and he hadn’t even realized how warm the other could be when the heated steam had drowned it all out. But like this, all close and carried carefully, he could feel it, heat radiating off the fox’s body, seeping even through his blanket and into his skin.

Lowly, he hummed in response, didn’t know how exactly to answer when he might as well indulge getting lulled in by another person’s warmth a bit longer. Usually, if he were on his own, he’d have needed to brace the cold on his own, make his way downstairs to get to the fireplace despite the floor being cold beneath his digits, walls chilly against his hands, for by the time he would have managed getting there, the cold would have reached way further than just the outside walls. Like this, with Jeno carrying him around, down the stairs and setting him onto the couch, it was more comfortable.

“There is a lighter in there,” he mumbled, nodded vaguely towards the TV bench and the doors behind which some of his gaming equipment was hidden, but also some of the basic tools, for the Madame was a tidy person so he, too, had made it a habit to keep it all neat and tidy while she was gone. A task considerably easy when he didn’t use that many things anyways, was easily contented with the things he kept in his room and then some. 

Just about to open his eyes, Lucas found himself surprised by the way Jeno had seemed to pick up on his intentions without further words, had raised the little flame towards the supersized Yankee candle, a little hint of light spreading around the area in front of their fireplace, and with that small sheen already, the bird was able to pick up on more details around the room. Like the way the other sniffed the air carefully, picking up on the vanilla scent, Lucas reasoned, for there was a small smile following before bright golden eyes were turned his way, big and expectant. White tail wagging slowly, lazily, relaxed in the way only an animal equipped for the winter cold could be, the canoid mumbled sheepishly, “I’ve never actually started a fire so…” 

To wonder how the fox had kept to staying out in the wild with nothing like a fire to keep him warm in first place was something to do later on, when he himself was warmed up enough to spend some energy on it. Currently, prevailing the worries about Jeno and his odd living habits when on his own, the hawk hybrid was more focused on receiving the warmth the weather was denying him, so he quietly nodded his head towards the wooden boxes in the corner of the room. “One holds small woods which we’ll need to get the fire going. Two hands should suffice for now?” Lucas instructed carefully, and under his careful directions, placing big lodges on top, using a charcoal lighter, and giving it a bit of time, red was soon licking around the chopped pieces, illuminating the room more than even the slowly approaching dawn could have. As it was, actually, it seemed unlikely they would receive any more light than they had currently, not with how dull the skies looked, how dense the snowflakes falling were.

There was a hint of worry in Lucas’ eyes as he looked over his shoulder, past the couch and terrace door, at the weather raging outside. Most definitely, it was not his favorite weather by the least, it seemed burdensome, had him shivering just thinking about, and it marked a strong contrast to the way Jeno must feel, being a snow fox and all. Though, were he to be honest, he didn’t even know certainly whether that name was strictly connected to the weather conditions they prefered like it would be with polar bears as well. 

Mostly, he was only aware of what he wanted, was conscious of the fact he’d love nothing more than a cup of tea and a good book in a situation like this, when there wasn’t much more to do for himself than try to stay awake and warm himself up. Going outside was risky, not impossible but uncomfortable, and aside from books, with all electricity cut, there really wasn’t much more for him to do anymore. Or them. What would have been a duller day on his own was made more bearable by knowing there was something else to spend it with, albeit, caught up in his staring at the snow, eyes heavy with sleep and a yawn stretching his lips, he had almost forgotten about Jeno, moving so silent when he so much as wanted to. The reminder came almost cruelly, had him release a shrill cry when the blanket was taken from him and he was tugged away, his body not prepared for the sudden take freezing up when he was simply thrown around. Except, despite this being how it felt, the landing was soft, a pile of what he recognized as cuddle blankets on the ground, soft against his skin where it was bare, the habit of sleeping with almost no clothes prevailed despite the company he got, making him more sensitive to the heat pressing into his skin.

It took him but a few seconds to realize what had happened, the way he had been thrown around only to be pulled close, bodies wrapped together, a pose similar to the one he woke up to most mornings, when Jeno had settled behind him in bed, ready for sleep and unwilling to let go of the bird getting up in the morning. Such was the downside of having complementary sleeping rhythms, on the other hand the upside was much more welcome, to wake up to all this additional warmth, to be heated by another body and feel his heart tighten with affection because all this proximity was no thing he was overly used to. Inside, he could feel his guts twisting, heart beating heavy, and if he allowed to be corrupted, he could almost imagine the way the fox was smirking into his nape from where the smaller was curled around his back.

Similar to every morning, waking up to Jeno like this, it was lulling the hawk hybrid in - the steady exhale against his nape, fingers drawing patterns across his skin, tail feathers flat against the shorts of the other, and a fluffy tail draped around his hip, soft where it brushed against his skin, a sensation he was awfully aware of as it rested against his clothed dick. To be exact, he was overly aware of every sensation on it, as if Jeno’s doings had flipped a switch inside him, had brought forth the hidden sensibility he hadn’t been aware of because he had never _tried_. Oddly, it didn’t feel like he had missed out, not when he was certain that the things Jeno could do to him were better than anything he could have ever attempted doing on his own.

“...ghter than I thought,” the white haired mumbled, ticklish against Lucas’ nape, a spot he had grown to realize was one of Jeno’s favorites - nose always returning to it, the gentle sniffing that could be heard, a scent being tracked down, and considering that a bird nose wasn’t nearly as good, relying on sight due their affinity with air, he didn’t even bother question it. Instead he hummed in question, couldn’t prevent the little spark of joy when Jeno seemed to get what he meant and repeated, “You’re lighter than I thought. Considering you look like _that_ …”

That. Not a word easy to decipher were it not for him already knowing, ever since he had been weighed daily, weekly, then monthly during his childhood and had seen the scale showing vastly different things compared to other hybrids’ counts. Bird bones were hollow, to lighten their weight when flying, and it had taken Lucas a few broken fingers and a cracked shoulder to realize that life wasn’t kind enough on him to not counter it. Such was the reason he had picked up on doing more exercise, to train his muscles where the bones weren’t enough, because he couldn’t be like an elephant hybrid with bones so dense they were usually brought into sports like boxing, a spectacle to see, and a risk for every human boxer trying to counter them. Compared to them, Lucas might as well be a twig stomped on.

He wasn’t certain how exactly to answer to that, so he didn’t, only curled himself up some more on their makeshift bed of blankets, tried to regain all the warmth he had thought to already have lost, and with the subtlest of movements of his, Jeno was quick to follow. A lie, it would be nothing but, for Lucas to say he didn’t enjoy that, feeling that warmth not only radiating from the other body behind and the fire in front, but also spreading inside him, tingly and fuzzy, because it could still be lonely to be left to his devices most days of the years. Jeno, at least, was someone steady, someone willing to spend time with him, and who seemed to enjoy his company as well. Would be nothing but, too, when all the little caresses were comforting, with fangs here and there gracing his skin, making him tremble with something that wasn’t fear, more similar to _awareness_ , and fingers tracing around his abdominals, following the ridges of his muscles and rubbing gently into his skin, the soft fur of a tail brushing over his crotch with every lazy swing. 

Almost too easy, that’s how it felt to be slowly drawn in, affected by every touch, every brush, every breath, overly aware of each little sensation like the fine body hair that feathered put against his skin, of the way Jeno kept pressing closer, running much hotter than Lucas himself did. With the way the fox’s breathing seemed to be weighted down, he almost anticipated for his guest to have fallen asleep, overcome with the missing daylight’s tiredness, but no such thing happened. Right on the opposite, for two things seemed to happen at once, when the canoid pushed his hips forward, pressing hot against Lucas’ rear, a familiar sensation, something hard pressed against his tail feathers, and Jeno’s tail curled around his hips by momentary instinct, pressing against his own crotch, and in the same split of a second he released a surprised gasp, the fox also released some sort of surprised yip. 

The air between them, the space they shared beneath the blanket, it seemed to become stiff due that, some stilted awkward tension that only ebbed out when Jeno carefully adjusted the position of his tail, moving it to rest on top of Lucas’ bare thighs rather than have it draped around them, followed by what must have been a deliberate easing of his own body. Regardless of the intent, of how it should have soothed the brunet down, it only made him feel restless, to feel the air falling between their bodies, the slightest of chills notable only because he had been allowed to feel pure warmth before. Such turned his breath shuddery for a few inhales, fingers curling around folds in the blankets because the subtle caresses on his abdominals had stopped as well, hand splayed against his stomach, unmoving, burning hot but not enough. 

That other time, Jeno hadn’t hesitated, had carefully led Lucas into experiencing new things - things he had been wondering about since, and it had him consider for no longer than it took him to blink his eyes before he asked, “Your rut… what is it like?” Good enough of a question to lead into it, he assumed, even when it made him restless without reason. It had been Jeno to tell him about it first, to bring up the topic of mating seasons and wanting to spend it together, a proof of trust, maybe commitment, and he didn’t want to be alone for a few days again when he had grown so used to the comfort of another person. Of Jeno. In reality, he wasn’t even sure he would feel as at ease with anyone else, couldn’t imagine doing these things with Yuqi, or with the other hybrids he had gotten to meet on the few times the Madame had taken him along on visits to other people, or invited those over. None of them had made him feel like this wild fox, and that was regardless of time spent, for none had ever managed to pull him in quite like this, had fascinated him at first glance, carried such appeal despite being disheveled and unkempt like the wild animal Jeno had been.

Hesitation seemed to radiate off the other during the minute silence, one the hawk didn’t point out when he himself was overcome with nerves at the question he had just asked, well aware of the path he was about to go down. With something between heavy exhale and deep sigh, the other finally replied, “Instinctive. I’m not really in my right mind then, so I’ll be more likely to act based on them. Self-control becomes harder and it’s easy to neglect myself. If I see something I want, I’m more likely to act based on it.”

Undertone vague, similar to something like shyness, or embarrassment, it was hard for Lucas to tell who could not relate, had experienced spurts of intrinsic instincts naturally, the kind that overcame even humans who liked to think themselves better than their many species. Only prolonged phases of those he did not know, made it hard to empathize, simultaneously as his mind seemed to zoom in on another question, bothering him then, “Is it worse if you’re on your own…?”

Slowly, certainly, Jeno seemed to catch on to where their conversation was going, breath hot and closer, bodies pressed tight together, cheeky tail back to brush over the aerial’s crotch, tease along the hardened length straining against flimsy cotton. “Way worse… Imagine you see this chubby bunny on the fields and you’re starving. You want to fly but your feet are chained down. Running in circles on the field, looking all tasty, and you can’t even attempt getting close. So you fight your instincts, try to battle that hunger when you’re just salivating for more…” Talking, more and more, it seemed to agitate the fox in ways unexpected, body pressing so close even heat seemed to swelter between them, claws not breaking skin but testing against tan skin, fangs more prominent, brushing sensitive spots with every word exhaled. 

“Will you do it, Lucas?” Jeno asked the question without shyness, riled up in ways no better than the bird felt, with his eyes shut tight but flames still dancing behind closed lids, hyper aware of all the minor details - thick nails scratching over unbroken skin, tough and sturdy and such bittersweet contrast to all these strands of fine hair brushing against him almost everywhere, awfully teasing over his dick which seemed all too barren under the lazy caress. “Will you spend my rut with me?” The canoid repeated, seductiveness dripping from his lips, or maybe it were the low growls underlying the syllables that had icy shivers race down Lucas’ spine, spread like fine needles to prickle his skin and make him so much more sensitive, an endless spiral of touch. “Give me a chance, Lucas. Let me make you feel good to show you. I promise I’ll treat you well, birdie.”

Somehow, without noticing, a detail that seemed to happen all too often around the fox, Lucas found himself face down pressed into the blankets, palm pressing against his length where it was trapped under his weight in the same way his body was partly held down by Jeno’s weight on top of him, not fully yet but prominent enough for him not to want to try funny things. There was an addictive touch to this, to his instincts acting up, telling him he was trapped like prey beneath the predators claws, but when the predators claws worked magic against his length, he didn’t find his instincts too important. Regardless, they were already drowned out by his thoughts, the subtle waves of reassurance that, despite their disparity in power, Jeno would by no means allow him to get hurt, was too considerate, too kind, and Lucas _wanted_ to trust his guts more than some primal side acting up.

It was dizzying, had his mind spinning, when he felt lips warm and moist against his back, each spinal cord of their own, teeth skimming, and his breath hitched whenever there was increased pressure. Yet it was nothing compared to the way the open mouthed kiss against the slope of his shoulder had him feel, head falling aside willingly, offering himself up despite the vulnerable position it was, and he could feel the satisfied rumble resonate against his back, could feel increased weight keep him locked down. “That’s it, birdie. So good for me,” the fox muttered, and an involuntary whine slipped the brunet’s lips, overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensations that crushed him like the waves on a windy day at the beach. 

When those same teeth dug into his skin, not deep enough to leave anything but indents on the tissue, Lucas shrieked, body bucking up only to be held down right again, and he could feel even his fluttering tail feathers be crushed by the frame hovering over his. His fingers curled around the blanket underneath him, the only solid thing to derive support from in his current position, when pleasant tingles drove down his spine, when subtle claws traced against his side, further down still until a second set of fingers curled around his pelvic bone. “Stay, birdie,” Jeno breathed, and as soon as he had said so he was gone, and with him all warmth.

His body crashed, and Jeno’s fading steps left him with confusion, cold creeping through his skin despite his objective knowledge of the fiery heat radiating towards his figure. Around him, the room had gained some more light, daily illumination barely there when compared to a normal winter’s day, and Lucas didn’t have the energy to lift his head to as much as take it in, rather stayed with his head low, eyes closed as he tried not to lose his mind due to the lack of another body next to his. It was an odd sensation, to feel so entirely amiss merely due Jeno being gone, it made seconds stretch into hours until he heard those same barely there footsteps return, blankets lifting had him shiver from the onslaught of chilly air and it was only when the other moved on top of him, straddling the back of his thighs, bare chest pressed against his back that he was able to release a shaky sigh of relief.

Now it was different, with the fox having lost all of his clothes on the way, everything so _palpable_ to unknowing Lucas, fine body hair brushing against his skin making every point of contact tingle with nerves of excitement, sensitized to every touch, but it was still more than that. He could feel it all - Jeno’s body heat, the fine structure of skin and muscles, the heat of something hard resting against the feathery ends of his tails and the soft kisses pressed against his nape to rob him off his breath. “Good little birdie,” the canoid breathed, and it was the last of a warning he received before he felt his underwear being tugged out of the way, catching onto his stiff dick making him moan airily from how it affected the blood rushing down between his legs. Lack of supply in his head, it had him feel dizzy already, more so even than the morning shared in the steamy shower stall, the lack of water running between their bodies adding so much more to all the little nuances of their bodies pressed tight, all the little things he was able to feel instead.

It was heady and mind numbing, the way Jeno went for the real thing without delay, with slick fingers that pressed against Lucas’ rim and had him tense up at the unknown sensation. Before, he had heard that some hybrids were engineered to the point an every touch would make them feel delight, and it wasn’t a sensation he could empathize with then, not when it didn’t feel unpleasant but neither excruciatingly good in the same way the bite had felt, the rush of hormones upon knowing that a predator was staking a claim on him, spot heated as if to serve as a reminder, of the possessive streak behind it, of the vulnerable spot it put him into, well aware how easily he could fall prey to another hybrid stronger than him. A rush of endorphins, that’s what it had been, missing now even when one digit pushed past his muscle with ease, sliding inside, making him feel _full_. Such was not a thing he had tried before, as must have been obvious when he had not even known of the pleasures he was able to feel by simple touches like the ones shared by Jeno with him, and it didn’t feel _good_ but neither was it bad, was only minorly uncomfortable the moment he tensed.

Acting up on it, he tried to let his body go lax, and there it was again, a rushing wave of delight when he felt the pleased growl of the fox rumble against his back, fine hairs moving, brushing over his skin, distracting him from the stretch that so suddenly seemed to increase. Gone one moment only to be back double, it had him squeak due to the unknown of it, and once his little sound resonated in their shared space, he felt those same fingers halt, Jeno stilling above him with such similar little sound. 

“Does it hurt?” The canoid asked, voice tense, and with their earlier conversation, well aware the fox’s rut wasn’t far off, Lucas couldn’t help wonder how much self-restraint it must take the other to hold back with premature symptoms showing, with the want of his night right under his body. Regardless of that, the mere fact that Jeno held back just to make sure the aerial felt well, felt safe, was enough to have something heavy settle within whose guts, weighing him down, making him feel sluggish as he simply gave in and allowed himself to be dragged down. Body slackening further, he couldn’t help the lazy smile when he heard Jeno’s pleased hum, and still shook his head for emphasis, good as he could, for he felt all words had left his thoughts, tongue too numb to move for any more than the small sounds slipping his lips. 

No more than such was needed for Jeno to go on, at a slower pace, easing the full length of his digits inside, until the knuckles pressed softly against his rim, the dense sensation of them having Lucas shudder, the reminder of how deep inside unknown parts of his body this fox was, touching uncharted territory, claiming it, leaving brandishing marks in his memory he would never be able to erase afterwards. It was as if Jeno was intent on leaving marks on Lucas, his mind, his body - his life - nobody would ever be able to cover up or outdo, an intent so full of meaning it should be terrifying in the same way as was being around a predator he’d fall victim to at night if not for the human genes mixed into their DNA, regardless, it wasn’t, for something around the white haired hybrid had him feel safe, protected - _home_. Too much to unpack at once when his mind was taken by the odd sense of comfort he was able to feel like this.

The pace Jeno set with his fingers was comfortable, not too much, not too fast, not too hard, but reaching so deep that already then Lucas felt as if his whole insides were taken, as if his heart was aimed for, to be taken by fingers reaching up and up, tying strings around his tender organ to tug it down and tear it out, have it cradled between slender digits holding it with care. Instead of his heart taken down it was something else that spread through his body at an insistent press of fingertips against his walls, claws slightly palpable from the angle, and a trembling moan slipped his lips, trembling in the same way his body did as the fox kept rubbing against that same spot insistently. It wasn’t overwhelming, it numbed his limbs, it was like his muscles being frozen by the cold when everything was felt, relaxing like a warm bath and robbing him of all his strength. Only his ass seemed to be up to react when he felt those same fingers more, belatedly realizing it was him clenching down, and when that same pressure was kept up as they drew down his insides, he felt a sensation so similar but so different at once. If the first was like a wave collapsing against cliffs, the second was like a spiral wound tight, the pressure on that particular spot having something tighten inside him, and he couldn’t even explain what it was, too out of touch with his own anatomy in that regard, when, ironically, it were Jeno’s touches that lured it out of him.

No more than a few repeats, fingers pushing in hard, punching the air out of his lungs, and drawing down at a leisure, intent pace that sent contradictory signals through his body, tightening sensation increasing until, at one little rub, his whole body went stiff, wetness spreading beneath his stomach as he soiled the blankets with his cum. Almost cruel, such was the way Jeno kept rubbing over it, teasing his digits into it, until Lucas was trembling at the smallest touch, last droplets of cum oozing against his stomach where it trapped his dick into the blankets, and the sensation so familiar to the one in the shower, he knew what it was without having to ask.

Even if he wanted to inquire, plead for a break he didn’t really need, he had no chance to, body signals understood in the wrong but oh so right way, fingers stretching inside him, spreading out, the three they had become, before they were gone, leaving him empty and clenching around nothing but the odd feeling of air kissing deeper than it should from feeling stretched loose. Not for long, no more than a few agonizing seconds before something pushed against his rim - something else, slick and hot and _big_. Lucas squeaked even before Jeno had pushed in, merely from being aware of what would follow, the knowledge of being taken and claimed, marked inside out, and it drove his thoughts into overdrive, racing for nothing and spiraling in ways he didn’t know they could. A mess of emptiness, a hurricane but the eye a blind spot, albeit his body had him feel right the opposite way, as if his every sensory nerve was tranquilized and nothing but the sensation of Jeno’s cock slipping inside him was left, hard and throbbing, as hot as Jeno’s body against his, ruffling his tail feathers and flattening them between their bodies as the other lowered his weight onto the bird’s body entirely. 

Knees to knees, chest to back, moist breath teasing against his neck - it was a lot at once, eased not by their hips touching or the slow rocking of the fox thrusting inside him, partings his body in two and revealing his heart, heavy inside his body and weighing down until even his own dick felt squeezed tighter between his tummy and ground. Lucas positively felt like going insane, with his lungs void of air and his gravitational center shifted to the hybrid behind, felt elevated and crushed at once, and it wasn’t even all. No more than a few harshed grinds and he sensed something shifting inside him, inflating and stretching him further, pressing against his double sensitive spots until white dots blurred his vision. He urged to ask what this was, how Jeno could possibly _still_ become more, and it was a task impossible to accomplish with his tongue lacking strength, no longer a muscle he was able to control, his whole body nothing but a pile of marionette limbs directed by the fox’s lack of command.

Indeed, Jeno had stayed true to his words, was teaching him new things, was teaching him how good his body could feel, was taking care of him, wasn’t hurting him - but he had not explained, had not talked about fox ways of mating, of fucking, of positively turning Lucas’ guts upside down with every slow grind of the inflated part rubbing against his spots, big enough to reach them all, send messed up signals through the whole of his body, disconnected from his mind which was too focused on taking in the way foreign breath made the earlier bite mark tingle, fangs hovering just barely above his skin to the point he could feel them on every harder move, barely scraping the surface of his flesh. 

His digits curled around nothing, the blanket covering their bodies not sustaining enough, and his every effort of pushing his body up for _more_ was rendered useless by fuzzily soft legs bracketing his own, pushing against his upper thighs meet hips, every push inside that had his cock leak steady streams of thin cum against his stomach, the slick sensation of what he finally realized was lube trickling down from his hole to his cock, unhindered by the lack of balls albeit he could feel Jeno’s swollen and thick against his cheeks. Body taken and mind claimed, ears straining to hear the syllables the fox muttered, breathed wet against his skin, “Good birdie, feel so good for me, my pretty bird, all good for me…” A heady mess of rambled words, scrambled in the same way Lucas’ guts felt, and it was addicting, was a different sort of drug compared to the sensation of his body being stretched open, just the tiniest bit further and it was too much in the same sudden way as the blizzard’s cold had woken him.

Body trembling, his fingers curled around the blankets he was lying on as he felt pathetic spurts of cum being choked by his body weight, walls tightening, making him imagine he could draw out the shape of Jeno’s cock from the imprint it left inside, and it gave him backlash of the worst sort. His own muscles clenching, it meant trapping the whole length of the fox’s dick inside, had the swollen parts press harder against this odd spot that felt likeskin pulled tight, twisting and turning inside him, was string pulled into tight knots, as confused little squeaks left his mouth, unable to tell it all apart as more than just the newness of sex and pleasure he hadn’t ever known. 

“Shit… Did you just-” Jeno started, and broke off, another harsh grind making Lucas’ whole body jerk up, enough of a reply to the canoid who could only growl in a way that couldn’t be described in any way other than _possessive_ \- low and guttural, teeth digging into the brunet’s skin at once as the pace of those restricted thrusts picked up. It would be tough for anyone to move when they were all locked in, pulled in tight by clenching walls, working like steroids on the fox who managed to pick up the force by a notch, had Lucas scream shrilly, fingers almost tearing at the blankets until they, too, were claimed, were taken hold of by their match, their ten fingers interlacing and giving the aerial something to hold onto while his body was simply taken apart.

“Just a bit more, birdie, just-” Words nothing but a low growl next to the bird’s ears, already lesser hearing drowned out even more by the rushing of blood in his veins, the dangerous thudding of his heart racing for relief. Relief he was not alone to be searching for, when those few excruciatingly sweet thrusts left finished with a wet spurt painting his insides, oozing in thick waves against his walls, endlessly coming, prolonged with every grind until he thought he would burst, felt so full he wasn’t sure it wouldn’t come out the upper end, so stuffed he didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened where he the other end of the spectrum of sex. 

A shriek of protest left him when he felt as if he would burst, when there was so much inside him he felt chained down in the same way Jeno had described when talking of his rut, locked up by whose dick, kept in place, weighed down, but the prize he had his eyes set on was not a hare running the fields but the hybrid covering his back, blanketing him with solid heat. A shriek that was met by a tightening bite, another grind, two, and the last spurt of cum before Jeno stilled completely, frozen on top of him when his own body still trembled with _need_. 

Detached sensation, it had returned, because his body didn’t yet feel complete, his own length sore and fragile where it had been rubbed into the fluffed fabric, his heart beating too fast within his chest, but his thoughts sated, soaked with bliss with the knowledge of _belonging_ , of being owned, of having found a partner he would love to call his own. Hawks, his mind supplied, in a moment that couldn’t be any worse, when he was still stretched thin and stretched open by Jeno’s dick locked in him, mated for their shared lifetime. And he wasn’t even sure whether they had mated, he couldn’t tell whether _this_ counted as mating when he had no one to explain, but where logic failed him his heart spoke up, aching at the mere thought of Jeno leaving, of abandoning him like a one-time fuck. It would break him, and it was stupid, because he didn’t even know whether he was _in love_.

Thoughts broken, Lucas startled the moment Jeno shifted their position, turning them on their side and the lack of pressure on his still hard member had him both shriek in dislike and slacken with relief, and as much as he would have liked to cover it up, it was impossible to do now. Jeno was too close to have possibly missed out on it, and the way their gravity had shifted, pressing against his spots in different ways had him tremble more. For once, the fox wasn’t nice, resembled a predator playing with its prey more than anything else with the way it was not his hand to offer relief like the way he had offered to Lucas before but his tail returning, fuzzy and soft and entirely too little of pressure where it brushed over the aerial’s dick. Regardless, just like before, it was too little and too much at once, was a barely there graze that had the hawk squeak and tremble and spurt cum all over himself for the third time that morning, before he was even properly awake. 

It would be a lot to take in on a normal day, it left him utterly befuddled in his current state, when he could do no more than feel the heavy breathing of Jeno behind him, sense the swell of his length inside him, and imagine that even the echo of their beating hearts were the same. The mark on his neck throbbed in protest, sore now that he was coming down from his high, felt his nerve ends tingle, his feathers rustle, and the leathery skin of his feet seemed to have gained in wrinkles from the up-and-high he had experienced until seconds prior. 

“Moon, Lucas,” Jeno pushed out, almost like a curse, with a tone too reverent, his voice as drowsy as the mentioned felt, with all strength fucked out of his body, cleared from his system, nothing left to do other than stay, drown in the aftershocks of his several orgasms he could not have anticipated at all. The fire in front of them had almost burnt down, ambers radiating heat and he knew he should stack more, knew he should bring the fire to life again, but his body was kept in place and his mind overtaken by a singular thought, eyes slowly blinking, glowing red lines hypnotizing him into the same sort of sleepy state Jeno had already fallen into. Their conversation, clearly, whatever had remained left unsaid, would need to wait until later, for when their awake times overlapped again, and they had the capacity to think clearly again. Only one thing Lucas had settled on, one thought stuck in his mind, even when his side blurred from post-coital exhaustion and his consciousness trickled out.

_If Jeno during his rut managed to make him feel this way, he would have no reason whatsoever to deny._

⠂❅⠁❄⠄❆⠂

At this point, Lucas hadn’t left his bed for a week already, either because Jeno had been fucking him, or because Jeno had left him too fucked out, similar to the way he felt now, when even lifting a single finger was too much of a hassle for him to do. His body was still trembling from the aftershocks, despite the plenty minutes that had passed since the fox’s knot had come down inside him, leaving him with cum trickling down his scrotum and legs, and his backside feeling too empty from the lack of warmth offered by another body to him.

To remain fair, the canoid was taking good care of him as well - case in point, the way he had a plate stacked with meat held between washed hands because, generally, the white haired looked more put together than Lucas had felt in days, which shouldn’t be fair, considering Jeno, too, was flushed down to his chest, skin glistening with sweat, cock ruddy from all the sex during his rut but no longer hard, smeared with cum in the same way Lucas’ thighs were. So, honestly, maybe the only cleaned up part of the others body were his hands but the aerial didn’t mind too much when he was in no better position himself as well. It was natural, the most primitive of states they could be, and for someone who enjoyed walking around naked this wasn’t unusual, seemed more uncomfortable to squeeze their tails into fabric, enclose the surrounding skin like a glove too tight. A habit he had kept to on his own had become one they shared, a habit that was comfortable, a sight to see. It didn’t appear either of them minded too much.

Exhaustion maring Jeno’s movements finally became obvious, the way he was no longer able to move as soundlessly as he otherwise would, steps heavy like the weight of his body sinking into the sheets, crossed legs and plate balanced on his overlapped calves. So close together, Lucas wasn’t certain where he’d like to look first, famine bubbling low in his guts as if he hadn’t been brought over the edge already five times that day alone, so much more sensitive than Jeno, if their compared endurance was anything to go by, but with a respiration time as short as his bones were light. Without meaning to, in the recent days, he had learnt a lot of unexpected things, and none of them he regretted, despite his heart aching the moment the fox was out of his sight, taking a part of him along, there was not a moment amidst all that time they spent together that he could say he hadn’t enjoyed.

“Say ‘aah’,” the canoid teased with a lazy smile, and Lucas was too distracted to refuse being babied, with his eyes on the juicy piece of meat, soaking around Jeno’s fingers where his claws dug in. Rolling over was too much of a hassle, so turning his head was the most the white-haired would get, with lips parted far enough to accept the fingers feeding him, licked over with his tongue to clean a bit, the meat was gone before Jeno had as much as retrieved his fingers, releasing a little whistle. “Someone’s hungry, huh?”

Around another piece of meat, he had been fed a second ago, Lucas mumbled, “Wonder who tried to devour me for days now.” Swallow, widened eyes, he looked up at Jeno sweetly and hummed happily when he was fed another piece, all of which had been pre-cut for this purpose exactly, as he realized the more of those he ate, all of a similar size because he didn’t have the energy to keep taking bites or wrangle down chunks too big. It had his heart soaring in the ways his body usually would, knowing he was taken care of, soothed and relaxed. There was a predator in his bed, seeing him as prey, but prey was also worth fighting over, and without doubt the hawk knew that the other would jump anyone’s throat in his aspiring wish to defend what was his. _His_ \- because the pounding mark on his nape had only gained in depth, with skin torn and possibly scaring, it was an irredeemable scar adorning his neck, owning him. Lucas didn’t really mind.

Before he had noticed, the plate was empty, put aside by the fox who licked his own fingers clean shortly. “Should we take a bath now? I’ll help you clean up,” he offered, and whilst Lucas doubted he could move anymore, the offer of soaking his body in the warmed up water was too tempting to resist. Agreement came easy, quite like receiving the short kiss Jeno pressed to the lips, and then the canoid was gone, leaving behind nothing but the imprint of wrinkles on sheets they had messed up to a point of no return, soaked with all the filth that came with spending a rut together, with moments so intimate, incidents he didn’t think he’d have to share with anyone ever since he had left the lab but with legs too weak to carry his weight, even reaching the toilet on his own would have been challenging. Moments that should have been awkward, he didn’t quite think the same way when they were full of underlying trust, of fulfilled faith in support, to know that he could ask for all this without anything becoming weird, would be carried around and cleaned up when he was too weak to do so on his own. Because Jeno, somehow, without asking, understood, and simply accepted it. After all, he had received the right the fuck Lucas into passing out more often than just once these recent days.

All too easily he had gotten lost in those thoughts that, by the time Jeno had returned to the room, it was almost surprising, yellow eyes blinking up sleazily, sluggish after having eaten, and yet the fox made no comment on that either, simply carried him to the bathroom, first into the shower stall to wipe him down with a washcloth, seated on the ground, catching the cold of the tiles so Lucas wouldn’t have to. There was a lot, cum dried against his skin, leaving the spots flushed from all the rubbing around, albeit it was relieving of finally feel cleaned again, leaving only a tiny part of his disappointed, the most primal one that prefered to be claimed, marked, _taken_. Though, if his bird parents were made to build nests together, perhaps he could consider this - his adjusted living situation with a fox under his borrowed roof, the bed they shared, cuddled up under one blanket - as their version of nesting, the part where they made a home of their own after having decided upon sharing their path. 

It was that train of thought that reminded him of something else, of all the unspoken things they had lustfully foregone in the recent days with nothing but each other on mind, catching up to him now as he felt his body being raised again, lowered into warm water with warmer flesh covering his back. After days of falling into the same rhythm sinking against Jeno’s chest was too easy, to feel arms wrapping around his waist and hands resting on his stomach, asking to be covered by his own, a deed he did nothing but enjoy complying to. Being cozy like this, he could even ignore the uncomfortable feeling of his down feathers getting soaked, or the way he had to keep his digits still to prevent his talons clacking against the metal of the tub uncomfortably, coming deliberately easier when legs entangled with his, toes playing around his leathery skin by some cute chance of habit. Almost it was sufficient to pull his thoughts down and under as well, almost being not fully, and it was after some seconds and playing around with the slender fingers that had spent too many hours being buried to the hilt inside him, pressing down on his tongue, letting him taste cum and lube and his own spit to the point he considered his own taste buds ruined to the end of his days, overcome with that taste alone. 

“Jeno,” he eventually ended up sighing, before he’d lose the bravery to ask this last thing, sinking lower in the tub, tail feathers brushing against skin, he could hear the shuddery gasp behind him when they traced over the fox’s cock, a detail he decided to ignore for the moment of asking, “What are your plans now?”

Stilling for a moment, the canoid seemed to consider it for one second, then lean in another, head dropped low against Lucas’ shoulder, deep inhale, returning habit of sniffing skin. “Actually hoped you’d let me stay… I’m not- I don’t like to spend my rut with just _anyone_ , and I think I care about you deeply, so I just hoped-”

“Yeah,” Lucas breathed, before Jeno had even finished, “You can stay. Yeah. With me.” 

More than seeing, he could feel the smile spreading against his shoulder, could feel it mimicked on his own lips, and when the other lifted him up to turn him around, he didn’t protest, merely leaned closer, asked for the kisses he was quick to receive while he settled on Jeno’s lap more comfortably. Hawks, indeed, they mated for life, and he didn’t yet need where foxes stood on that chart but if it meant he was allowed to have some more time with the fox in his arms, he didn’t want to know too much. Sometimes, just like the fall of a flight, nosediving until his digits were brushing against ground when he elevated his weight, it was best to enjoy the moment, the rush of dropping, of all inhibitions lost. He was a bird, he lived for the moment, and if his moments equaled Jeno then maybe they were all the more delightable. A mate for a life, he didn’t want to confess that yet, he didn’t want to mess up their chaotic order even more, but he knew he was in too deep, falling too fast, the rush of wind against his feathers no better than the air shared in their kisses, the taste of the skies and the taste of his lover. 

Maybe he had missed out on a few things, maybe they did this the wrong way around, it didn’t change the way he felt, his heart sweetly squeezed inside his chest, burning marks on his back where Jeno’s fingers remained, and the sweetness of his tongue covered with Jeno’s flavor fully. Maybe he was late but sometimes waiting meant to enjoy it more, and this delight right then, he was willing to enjoy it for a long, long time, so long as Jeno was willing to have him, so long as his flavor remained in their kisses, his touch burned on his skin, he made his heart race sweetly with the affections expanding like wings growing on his arms. Maybe they were unusual, it just made him want to hold on more.

Maybe he was falling, and maybe he enjoyed this rush too much, but with the ground nowhere to see, this was a fall he was willing to indulge for a bit longer, before he’d spread his arms to embrace these feelings fully, and yell them into the world - even if his worldly focused had shrunk onto Jeno and their little shared routine alone. It was good, because now Lucas was no longer alone, had arms to return to, arms that held him tightly now, arms that kept him well and safe, protected him from harm. Falling really didn’t seem as scary under these circumstances, not when it was Jeno to greet him warmly at the end of it. Not when it was Jeno to keep him warm for a bit longer too.

**Author's Note:**

> Ayayay! Thank you to everyone who made it to this point now! I hope you were able to enjoy my little idiots together and thank you very much! 
> 
> As said, there'll be a few more to follow, so if you've taken an interest and/or want to keep up with me and my stuff - [twitter](https://twitter.com/starrymeis), or ask me questions on [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis) ~
> 
> PS: for any writers here, I've currently got [this project](https://twitter.com/starrymeis/status/1363579694029938690/photo/1) running so check it out if you want ~ thank you very much!


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